PROVIDENCE — Time is running out for Gov. Dan McKee to meet a key legislative deadline for coastal reform.

Last year the General Assembly passed a law slimming down membership of the state Coastal Resources Management Council’s executive board from 10 members to seven.

The change was made to assuage critics of the council and, notably, lower the executive board’s quorum requirements for meetings from six council members to four. Reaching a quorum, the minimum number of members required to be present before any actionable votes can be taken, is something CRMC has struggled with over the last five years, causing meetings, and final decisions on permits, to be delayed.

The law requires McKee to appoint a whole new board, which consists of six appointees to be confirmed by the state Senate, plus a designee from the state Department of Environmental Management, by March 1. But the governor has been quiet on whether a new board will be appointed come the deadline, or whether the current board will remain in place.

In the event the new council is not seated by March 1, current council members “shall continue to serve until such time as all members are appointed and confirmed.” Notably, serving as a council member prior to the deadline, says the new law, “shall not disqualify an individual from reappointment.”

As of Monday morning, the governor’s office has made no announcement of new board members, nor are any new appointments listed on the General Assembly website. The Senate Environment and Agriculture Committee, which in the past has confirmed the governor’s CRMC nominees, was not scheduled to meet as of Monday morning either.

A spokesperson for McKee did not immediately return a request for comment.

Unlike most state departments and agencies, final decisions within CRMC can often come down to the politically appointed council. Not all permits and cases rise to the executive level, but contested cases, or applications requiring a serious variance from the state’s coastal regulations, typically need to go for a vote before the executive board.

There’s nothing stopping the executive board from overriding or ignoring CRMC staff recommendations on coastal developments and policy. The executive board isn’t required to have expertise in coastal policy or management; the main qualification for some members was whether or not they represented a specific coastal community in Rhode Island.

Previous members have included a liquor store owner, a dental hygienist, and the CEO of a chain of physical therapy offices, among others. Current members include a municipal judge and labor official, a podiatrist with a practice in East Providence, and a certified public accountant.

It’s something that’s led the agency into multiple controversies, ranging from approving the Champlin’s Marina expansion in a backroom deal, to going around the General Assembly in approving a submerged lands lease for the export cables from the Revolution Wind project.

It’s why environmental groups like Save The Bay and other critics of the agency have long championed reform legislation that abolishes the council.

Reform efforts were ultimately stymied last year when lawmakers chose to pursue the legislation changing the number of council members.

Attorney General Peter Neronha said the measure fails to solve the problems presented by CRMC’s current appointed-council structure.

“In my office’s experience, and the experience of everyday Rhode Islanders, it is the unique and peculiar structure of CRMC that has resulted in challenges such as the inability or reluctance to fill open seats, inability to meet a quorum, years-long delays, back-room deals and blatant violations of law,” Neronha said. “None of these significant problems will be addressed by simply requiring that volunteer council members have certain professional backgrounds or qualifications.”

Mike Woods, chair of the New England chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said the CRMC board canceled almost 30% of its meetings last year.

“It is difficult to imagine any significant role in public service where consistently failing to show up or complete such a significant portion of the workload would be considered acceptable,” Woods said.

The new law states, starting March 1, new board members “shall possess background, qualifications, and expertise in environmental and coastal management matters.” One appointee must be an engineer, one should be a coastal biologist, and one should represent an environmental organization.